CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - September 18, 2015) - Last night the Illinois Technology Association (ITA) revealed the winners of its 2015 CityLIGHTS Awards. The CityLIGHTS Award program recognizes the leaders in the local tech community that are driving employment, investment and large scale innovation for Chicago and Illinois.

"Although the start-up culture in the city of Chicago is important, it is the growth-stage companies that were honored last night that are helping to reshape Illinois' economy," said Fred Hoch, CEO, ITA. "This group of leading companies and individuals is raising the bar in Illinois tech and we are thrilled to be able to recognize their success and impact on our community."

To date, CityLIGHTS winners, including those honored this year, collectively have had exits of over $50 Billion and raised over $1 Billion in IPOs and over $2.3B in venture capital.

The 2015 ITA CityLIGHTS Awards honorees are:

CityLIGHTS Award: The CityLIGHTS Award, ITA's highest honor, is presented to the company or individual whose leadership actively and consistently supports the growth, talent and visibility of the local technology industry.

• Don DeLoach, President & CEO, Infobright

CEO of the Year: Presented to the company CEO whose leadership, strategy, and ability to attract and retain talent has resulted in company growth and visibility.

• John Morris, President & CEO, Cleversafe

Technologist of the Year: The Technologist of the Year Award is presented to the individual whose talent has created true technology innovation, either through new application of existing technology or the development of technology to achieve a truly unique product or service.

• Dr. Kristian Hammond, CTO, Narrative Science

Prominent Woman in Tech: Presented to a preeminent female in the local industry who has championed a leading role for women by supporting their growth and prominence in the industry.

• Shradha Agarwal, Co-Founder & President, ContextMedia

Rising Star Award: The Rising Star Award is presented to the company that has the strongest potential to grow into a leader in the technology industry.

• Kapow

Lighthouse Award: The Lighthouse Award is presented to the company whose growth is demonstrated through innovation in products, services or business approach to become a serious competitor in the national marketplace.

• Jellyvision

Outstanding Technology Development Award: Presented to the company or organization that utilizes or developed a technology tool, process or service that accelerated growth.

• Gogo

Trailblazing Award: Presented to the company that has developed and/or introduced an ingenious, non-traditional and innovative way of doing business or creating culture that has produced significant growth for the company.

• Opternative

Thank you to our 2015 ITA CityLIGHTS Awards sponsors: Platinum Sponsors, Gogo and Trustwave and Event Sponsors, Authentify, CoreSite, Lantern Partners, Liquidus, Optiver, SAVO Group, Silicon Valley Bank, Southpoint Insurance and SurePayroll.

About the Illinois Technology Association
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is a business services organization dedicated to growing technology companies. ITA provides strategic programming, consulting and resources, enabling its members to grow, build and elevate their business. For more information, visit illinoistech.org, follow @ITAbuzz on Twitter or find us on LinkedIn.

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